myth-and-empire-blog

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The Corrupted Hero Society

My chosen artifact is the popular anime My Hero Academia. This show centers around young Izuku Midoriya, a boy born powerless in a world full of superheroes. Within the show, 80% of the world possess some sort of power or mutation called a quirk. Izuku falls within the 20%, which is mostly consisted of the older generations, that does not have any quirk whatsoever. Due to this, Midoriya suffers from immense bullying, even being given the nickname “Deku”, meaning useless. Even the teachers at his school turn a blind eye to the way he is treated due to the prejudice against the quirkless. From the young age of four years old, Midoriya is constantly told that he has no chance of ever accomplishing his dreams of becoming a hero. Society has turned its back on this boy, deeming him useless just for being born different. On the opposite end of this is Katsuki Bakugou, Midoriya’s former childhood friend turned bully. Bakugou possess a strong physical quirk that causes him to sweat nitroglycerin that he is then able to ignite to form powerful explosions. Due to his strong power, those around him constantly praise him which causes him to develop a superiority complex to the point where he just sees everyone else as extras and mere pebbles on the side of his road to being the top hero. Along with this, his personality also becomes very volatile and violent where his solution to everything becomes to lash out in anger. He even has to be muzzled and restrained after lashing out due to being unsatisfied with how he won the school sports festival. That isn’t the only issue found within this society. In a world where being a superhero is a paid profession, it’s only natural that there are those who are only in it for the fame or the money. As well as those who abuse the power they have and their status within society. The one who sees this for what it is, is a villain known as the Hero Killer Stain, who hunts down heroes that he finds unworthy of their title.

I plan to take my research in the direction of specific characters and the way they fit into this society as well as the us of Japanese anime itself to bring difficult topics into discussion. Some of my research questions about specific characters include:

Why has no one within this society done anything about the treatment of quirkless people? Even the laws of society completely disregard those with no quirks, and only the use of quirks falls under the law, so why has no one had issue with committing a crime with no quirk to cause concern within society?

In a society of heroes, shouldn’t they be under more scrutiny in their behavior and monitored in a way that they don’t abuse their power?

Why has this society ignored the vast potential that Izuku has just because he is quirkless? He has 13 whole notebooks analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, and quirk applications of every pro hero he could get information on, so why was he still discouraged from following his dreams, even though there are heroes who have intelligence based quirks and not physical ones? Why is he only seen as a potential hero after he is given a strong physical quirk?

Why has no one seemed to stop Bakugou’s violent behavior despite it being shown from such a young age?

How has Endeavor (Enji Todoroki) used his power and influence to further his own personal agenda at the expense of his family’s well being? Why was it never questioned about what drove his wife over the edge and caused her to scar her own son?

Although the Hero Killer, Stain’s (Chizome Akaguro), methods were wrong, his motivations themselves held some truth to them. So why did society not place heroes under more scrutiny about the kinds of actions that would cause a villain like Stain to arise?

I also plan to research the way the animation itself plays into the theme. Such as how anime is able to bring difficult topics up for debate, such as how Endeavor abuses his power in order to cover up the way he abuses his family in order to further his own goals. How through portraying these kinds of situations in fiction, it makes it possible to find the connections and parallels to reality.

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The Creation Myth of All Empires

The topic I’m choosing to explore is the parallels between the formation of empire and the creation myths from classical mythology. I’m interested in this topic because I have always had a fascination for the various myths that explain the world we know. Such as the myth of Echo, a nymph who fell in love with Narcissus but was cursed to only ever repeat the last word she hears and was unable to ever confess her love to him. Eventually her physical form faded away leaving only her voice in the wind, echoing all she hears. It’s these kind of myths that play a part in why I chose to be a classics major. There are myths to explain practically everything in nature including the creation of the universe itself. And that is where I find the base for my chosen topic. Everything has a beginning. Everything around us came from something. Even the mighty empires that lasted for hundreds of years all have an origin story and many cultures have the root of their empires told through myths. Such as the story of Romulus and Remus, twins born of Mars, the Roman god of war. The King of their hometown feared they would overthrow him and cast them out, where they were taken in by the she-wolf Lupa who raised the brothers until they were found and taken in by a Shepard. One day, Remus is captured and taken to the King. Romulus united a group of shepherds in order to rescue his brother and ends up killing the king in the process. The two brothers are offered the king’s crown in return, but they refuse in order to found their own city. And thus they set out the begin the process of creating the great Roman Empire. The question I seek to explore is if there is a common thread between all these creation myths. Is there something that unites the formation of all the great empires we know of today?

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Everything Comes to an End

Humanities Core throughout this past year has been a major growing experience for me. Even just seeing my own log develop has been a great experience. I began this assignment just struggling to think of something that I could write about and eventually began writing about things that genuinely interest me that I never knew could have a connection to this course. From a post about the book series that practically shaped my whole life, to the cartoon that I watch for fun with my friends. There is a trace of empire in everything around us. 

Just like the image above from Thomas Cole’s A Course of Empire, just as empires rise, they also must fall. Everything must come to an end because nothing lasts forever. Although the Humanities Core course has ended, I’ll still take with me what I have learned from this experience. History is more than just words in a textbook, it is the story of real lives and experiences of the past that everyone should know and understand so that the future can learn from any mistakes. It matters who wrote what happened and when & where it was written. You can’t assume that a single source will tell the whole story because more likely than not, it won’t. Everyone has a different perspective of events and every side needs to be taken into account in order to truly understand it.

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The Slave Class of Ancient Sparta

The concept of slavery has existed throughout history. Civilizations are built on the work of people being forced to work under others. It even stretches as far back as the 8th century BCE in Ancient Sparta. The social structure of Sparta is made up of three different classes. At the top stands the Spartiates, who were responsible for military and civic service. In the middle was the Perioeci (translating to “dwellers-around) who were the skilled workers and businessmen and only served in the military when necessary. Lastly, the slave class, was the Helots. The Helot class stemmed from the original inhabitants of the land that was conquered by Sparta and served as farmers and worked agriculture for the Spartiate that owned the land they were bound to.

Much like the methods known from more recent accounts of slavery, the Helots were controlled through violence and fear, thus keeping them in check and preventing rebellion even though the Helots greatly outnumbered the Spartiates. The Spartiates also didn’t actively go our conquering more land so that they could keep their military force close to home for the slight chance of a Helot rebellion. One of the main ways that the Helots were controlled was through the Spartiate secret police, the Krypteia, who went out to observe the Helots and deal with any behavior they viewed as threatening. However, there was an instance of a Helot revolt during the second Messenian War in the mid 6th century BCE when the Messenians who had been reduced to Helot status when they were conquered in the first Messenian war took advantage of the Spartan defeat to Argos and nearly won but were suppressed after 30 years of war.

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Change Yourself To Change The Rest

http://reborn.wikia.com/wiki/File:Tsuna_And_The_Guardians.PNG

Gandhi says that “one drowning man will never save another” and by that he means that you can’t help or change others without first changing yourself. In the anime/manga series Katekyo Hitman Reborn!,​ young Tsunayoshi Sawada(bottom middle right) learns this the hard way. Being terrible at sports and having far below average grades he had spent the majority of his life looked down on and seen as useless by everyone including himself, earning the lifelong nickname “No-Good Tsuna.” However, that all changes the day he meets Reborn, a shrunken hitman sent by Tsuna’s absent father to tutor him into becoming the tenth boss of the Vongola Famiglia, the most powerful mafia family in the world. 

Through Reborn’s rough guidance Tsuna is able to learn how to stand on his own feet. He learns how to change himself for the better, to be confident in himself and his abilities and fight to protect those he cares about. He learns how if he wants to do anything he has to start with himself. Throughout Tsuna’s journey his resolve is constantly tested in the form of controlling his dying will flames, a special ability that only those of the mafia have learned how to use. Tsuna’s flames being the purest flames of the all encompassing sky that brings “harmony, [which] represents a state without contradiction nor flaws in which the balance of the whole is maintained,”(http://reborn.wikia.com/wiki/Sky_Flame​). This balance being another way in which Tsuna became a representation of how if you change yourself, others may follow. 

By helping himself improve Tsuna is able to provide an environment for those around him to flourish and find themselves as well. He provides a purpose to Hayato Gokudera(bottom middle left), a bastard born mafia boy who felt isolated and looked down on by his own family. He helps suicidal teen Takeshi Yamamoto(bottom right) find his reason for living again. He gives a new home to Lambo Bovino(bottom left), a five year old hitman abandoned by his family and sent on an impossible/suicidal mission just to get him out of the way. He earns the respect of the disciplinary committee chairman, Kyoya Hibari(top right), who has only ever seen others as weak “herbivore” that are all below him. Tsuna’s dying will spirit inspires the over enthusiastic boxing club captain Ryohei Sasagawa(top left) who believes in always living life to the “extreme.” And finally, he gives a new perspective to Mukuro Rokudo(top middle left), a vengeful teen who suffered at the hands of a mafia family that dealt in human experimentation.

Lastly, the biggest way in which Tsuna’s change affected the rest is when he decides for himself that he doesn’t want to be involved in the bloody and violent world that is the mafia. Through this decision he resolves in a conversation with his ancestor, the founder of the Vongola, that “I don't need... this kind of power! If you want me to inherit such mistakes... Then, I... I WILL WIPE OUT THE VONGOLA!” He decides that with the way that the Vongola has become, it needs to be completely redone and brought back to its roots of a vigilante group meant to protect people and that he will do this by changing the Vongola from within and spreading that change throughout the Vongola’s vast sphere of influence.

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Surrender Your Fate To The Dice

The Dungeon Master Art Print by Moulin Bleu https://www.pinterest.com/pin/533324780843462741/

Dungeons & Dragons is a storytelling roleplaying game where the will of the players rests with the luck of the dice and their fate is up to the mind of the Dungeon Master. Just as a theme from Shakespeare’s Tempest where those who washed up on Prospero’s island gave up their fates to Prospero’s grand plan, once you step foot into the world of D&D your will is no longer completely your own. A game of D&D is run with one Dungeon Master (DM) who is basically the god of the world and all the events that occur end up according to their master plan. Playerwise, D&D can be done with a limitless number of players but is easier to manage with smaller groups around 3-5 people. Each player creates their own character using a variety of races, classes, and backgrounds. Just in this first stage of character creation, your fate is already left to the will of the dice. Once you have chosen your race and class, you then must roll for all of your character stats and health points. Through these stats you are limited in your ability to do certain tasks. Such a for the intelligence stat. If your character has an intelligence of 7 or lower, then your character is illiterate. Similarly, if your character has a high constitution, then it adds more to their total health points. Health points themselves are a very important fact about your character that is left up to the will of the dice. If you roll low enough when creating your HP, then there is a chance that your character could be knocked unconscious with a single blow, or even killed which occurs when you reach negative of your maximum hit points.

The above image, The Dungeon Master Art Print by Moulin Bleu, portrays the symbolic battle between the player and the DM and dice. Because when you fight in D&D, it’s not really the monsters and various enemies that you are fighting, it’s the rolls of the DM that are your true foe. It is up to the fate of what the DM rolls on whether you will succeed in a fight. If the DM rolls higher than you, then your attack can fail or be weakened. The knight being crushed beneath the dice showing a 20 can represent the death sentence that comes when the DM rolls a natural 20. The DM himself is also pictured with a smug look as he already knows that any attempt of the players to defy him is futile. In the center of the image there is a glowing light that the players are headed towards while facing the DM. This may be a symbol of the victory that awaits those who survive that all the players strive towards.

During the campaign, everything that happens is according to the will of the DM. Whenever you want to do something, you typically roll a skill check and based on how high you roll the DM determines what you actually end up doing. For example, if you say you want to scale a wall but roll a 3 on your acrobatics check, the DM can decide that you run face first into the wall instead. Or if you roll a 19 on a perception check, the DM then tells you different things that they believe you would notice, but at the same time they can choose to limit what you see even if you roll high. Ultimately, everything that occurs is decided by the DM, just as how everything that happened to those who washed up on Prospero’s island was all according to his plan for revenge.

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The Galra Empire

*Warning: This post contains spoilers for Voltron: Legendary Defenders*

From real life to fiction, empires are all around us. One of the big fictional empires that comes to my mind is the Galra Empire in the Netflix animated show, Voltron: Legendary Defenders. The Galra, an alien race bent on taking over the universe, are led by Emperor Zarkon who in turn issues his commands through his generals. Emperor Zarkon has ruled over the Galra fleets for 10,000 years after he was corrupted by the quintessence that leaked from a fissure that appeared in Diabazaal, the Galra’s home planet. The planet was later destroyed by King Alfor of the Alteans after evacuating all the people due to Zarkon increasing the growth of the fissure. Zarkon then destroyed Altea and all of its inhabitants, save for his Altean wife and the Altean Princess and advisor, as his revenge against Alfor. Image 1.3 below shows the final battle between Emperor Zarkon and King Alfor as Alte burns around them. The fight between these former friends shows how just a small taste of power can infect someone with an endless greed for more and more power. After being exposed so much to the quintessence from the fissure, Zarkon and his wife, Honerva, are driven mad with power and continue to delve deeper into its depths, ultimately bringing an end to their planet.

1.1 Emperor Zarkon

1.2 Zarkon’s Generals

1.3 Zarkon defeating Alfor in during the fall of Altea

One of Zarkon’s main goals in his conquest is to capture and gain control of Voltron, the only force that can stop his reign of terror. He seeks out the five robot lions that make up Voltron, even going as far as to have one of his generals attack the Castle of Lions while they are celebrating the release of Planet Arus from Galra control. The Galra send in a drone disguised as the robot that Pidge, the pilot of the green lion, reprogrammed after invading a Galra ship. The drone then explodes within the Castle’s power core allowing the Galra to replace it with their own, as shown in image 2.2. In the end, Pidge is able to disable the corrupted core as she sneaks around the castle while the rest of the team are away, either out of commission, locked out of the castle’s force field, or off getting a replacement crystal.

2.1 The Arusians fleeing as the Castle is attacked

2.2 The Galra taking control of the Castle’s power core

The Galra spread their reign of terror and colonize many of the planets they take over. One of the earlier accounts of their reign of terror is in how the Galra Empire forces their prisoners to fight in a gladiator ring as entertainment.

3.1 Prisoners being led to the arena for battle

3.2 Galra Spectators as prisoners fight for their lives in the arena

The Galra also experimented on their prisoners that they deemed strong in an attempt to increase their fighting power. Image 4.1 shows the procedure where the Galra replaced the right arm of Shiro, the now leader of Voltron, with their own technology hoping to brainwash him into fighting for their side. After being freed from the Galra by a member of a rebel group called the Blade of Marmora, he meets the rest of the team with limited memories, and uses his new arm to fight against the Galra.

4.1 Galra scientists performing the surgery to weaponize Shiro

4.2 Shiro’s weaponized arm as a result of Galra experimentation

Similar to how the Spanish put those in their colonies to work, the Galra did the same. They forced the peaceful people of the Balmera to mine the crystals produced by the living planet in order to power their fleets. They controlled the Balmerans through fear with their constant military presence on the planet. The Galra forced the people to work and took the resources, giving nothing in return. Without the equivalent exchange during the removal of the crystals, the living planet was slowly weakening. After being discovered by the Paladins of Voltron when they seek a new crystal for the Castle’s core, Voltron fights for the freedom of the Balmerans, allowing them to see the sun and sky once more. Image 5.3 shows the Balmerans seeing the sky and the life being returned to their planet when the Altean Princess Allura performs the ritual to return the quintessence back to the Balmera in exchange for their crystal.

5.1 Galra watchtowers and machines built onto the surface of the Balmera

5.2 The effects of the life being drained from the Balmera through the forced removal of its crystals

5.3 The Balmerans witnessing life being brought back to the Balmera after they are freed from Galra control

The Galra also enslaved the Olkari and forced them to build their weapons. The Olkari believed their leader, King Lubos, was a prisoner when in reality he was being pampered by the Galra while his people were enslaved. This is in a way similar to the situation where Francisco de Jerez held Atahualpa captive. Since in the Spanish account he was treated well and given women and such even though he was their prisoner. Once again the Paladins of Voltron take action and drive out the Galra with the help of the natives and their technology.

6.1 The enslaved Olkari being forced to build a super weapon for the Galra

6.2 Galra general overseeing the construction of the super weapon

6.3 Lubos being treated to luxury while his people are enslaved

During the later events of the show, there becomes unrest within Galra control. While Emperor Zarkon is out of commission due to a fight against Voltron, his son, Prince Lotor takes command. Not everyone is happy because he and his generals are all only half-Galra. Also showing themes of racism within the empire. This can be aligned to the conflict between Diego de Almagro and Francisco Pizarro and how they went to war against each other for claim over the spoils of the Inca. Similarly, Commander Throk challenges Prince Lotor for control of the Galra’s military force as shown in image 7.2.

7.1 Prince Lotor and his generals

7.2 Throk challenging Lotor in the arena

Lastly, the universe didn’t take it lying down, just as how the Desolation myth was disproved. They fought back in the form of the Voltron Coalition, composed of the last surviving Alteans (excluding Zarkon’s wife of course), the Paladins of Voltron, the various planets freed from Galra control, the resistance made of prisoners who escaped the Galra, and the Blade of Marmora. Image 8.2 shows the first official meeting of the leaders for the Voltron Coalition as they discuss the current situation of Galra influence in the universe. Tensions are high at this meeting since they leaders of the freed planets are not happy that the Blade of Marmora bring a Galra presence, showing that the racism is not limited to within the Galra but against them as well. They are also upset that they cannot be reassured of the presence of Voltron since the leader, Shiro, is missing and they are unable to form Voltron without the full team.The map above them, being explained the the Blade of Marmora’s leader Kolivan, shows the various planets that are still under Galra control.

8.1 The Paladins of Voltron

8.2 The first meeting of the founders of the Coalition

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Percy Jackson, A True Virgilian Hero

(Please note that this post may contain spoilers for the series)

Perseus Jackson, the main character of two of Rick Riordan’s best-selling series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. I believe that Percy Jackson, after all that he has been through in the 10 books that make up both series, can be considered a true Virgilian hero.

The first aspect of a Virgilian hero is Pietas, someone who follows the responsibilities of their role. Percy is one of the leaders of the demigod summer training camp, Camp Half-Blood and is at one point the Praetor of the Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter. He fulfills his role as a leader and takes charge to lead the camps towards the right direction. He leads his fellow demigods through many difficult situations as well as through two wars. He acknowledges those who die in battle and continues on to win the fight so that their sacrifice won’t be in vain. Whether it be the loss of Charles Beckendorf on their mission to sabotage the ship that carries monster attempting to join the enemy’s army and he still continues on knowing that Charlie would have wanted him to continue to win the battle. As well as Michael Yew, who died on the Williamsburg Bridge during one of the final battles of the Second Titan War (the first war Percy fought in at the age of 16). Michael’s last words to Percy were to tell him to use his powers to break the bridge in order to prevent Kronos from crossing even though he knew he would be taken out with it. Percy took responsibility in the fight and bought their army more time before the final battle. Percy also shows his responsibility to friends and family in how his fatal flaw is loyalty. He would sacrifice the world in order to save someone he cares about.

The next trait of a Virgilian Hero that Percy displays is virus, to have courage and morality. Beginning at the age of 12, Percy has faced many challenges and monsters in situations where he must have courage and make the right choices in order to get through. One of the most prominent displays of his courage is in the first book of the series before he even understands what is happen. He is on his way to camp with his mother, Sally Jackson, and his satyr protector/best friend, Grover Underwood, and is attacked by the Minotaur. Percy takes courage and challenges the Minotaur head on in order to protect those he cares about.

Percy’s third Virgilian Hero characteristic is labor, the determination to succeed and never give up. Even when faced with impossible odds, he never gives up and continues to get the job done. Such as when even though no one has ever returned from the Underworld before, he is still determined to go there if it means has a chance at rescuing his mother and retrieving Zeus’ Lightning Bolt that he was falsely accused of stealing. As well as when he rescues Nico di Angelo from the control Ghost King Minos even though Nico hates him and blames Percy for the death of his sister. Percy knows that it is morally right and that this is a boy who just lost the only family he had left at the age of 10 and needs to be saved from falling into despair and becoming something he would regret.

The final aspect of a Virgilian her is fatum, being in line with fate and the will of the gods. This is especially true with Percy because in every book, his actions are guided by the prophecies that are given by the Oracle of Delphi.

“A half-blood of the eldest gods Shall reach 16 against all odds. To see the world in endless sleep, A hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap. A single choice shall end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze.”

Even though the true meaning of the Prophecy isn’t what Percy believes it to be, it still works out how fate has intended. On Percy’s, the son of Poseidon, 16th birthday, the minor god of dream, Morpheus, puts all of New York to sleep. Annabeth’s knife, which is cursed in how Luke broke the promise he made her when he gave it to her, is used by Luke to sacrifice himself in order to kill Kronos who he was hosting in his body. And finally Percy’s decision to of whether or not to give the knife to Luke that decided the final outcome of the war. Percy is always in line with the destiny that is put before him in order to save the world on multiple occasions.

Throughout his many adventure Percy continuously displays the attributes of a Virgilian hero as he faces all the challenges the Fates throw at him. He leads with responsibility and loyalty, is courageous and moral, never gives up, and follows his destiny.

Sources:

http://rickriordan.com/character/percy-jackson/

http://rickriordan.com/series/percy-jackson-and-the-olympians/ http://rickriordan.com/series/the-heroes-of-olympus/

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Scientific Progress Is Moral Regress

In Rousseau's first discourse he talks about how “our souls have become corrupted in proportion as our sciences and our arts have advanced towards  perfection.” That got me thinking about how, in a way, Rousseau is right. In modern day, even though we have so many scientific advancements, we are still faced with ethical debates about those advancements and the methods used to get there.

One of the older scientific moral debates includes the ethics of animal testing. Many companies in many different scientific fields use animals to test the effects of their products. One of the issues with animal testing is that is exactly what they are. Animals. They will react differently to how a human would react to various tests and products. One of the moral issues within this is the idea of animal rights and how they are living creatures as well and don’t deserve to be tested on just because they are not as mentally advanced as humans. So even though, by testing on animals, various fields of science have made leaps and bounds of progress, they are morally taking steps backwards through the testing of their products on living creatures when those products are not yet confirmed to be safe.

A bigger ethical debate in the science world has to do with cloning. Although, if made successful, cloning could save many lives through the growth of new organs for transplants and such, the path to get there is rocky. The research being done for cloning includes the testing of embryonic stem cells. The moral debate falls in how many believe that an embryo deserves status as a living being and thus this testing becomes done on living humans. So once again, even though he testing of embryonic stem cells allows scientists to make so much progress, they are faced with the moral debate of testing on what can be considered human beings.

So, is scientific progress moral regress? Yes, yes it is. So Rousseau is right when he says that “the effect is certain.” All different fields of science will in some shape or form face a moral debate about its practices that someone has thought of. There will always be someone to call out scientists on their research and the ethics behind what they are trying to accomplish.

Sources:

Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Basic Political Writings. Translated and edited by Donald Cress. Hackett, 2011.

https://www.slideshare.net/maa020/moral-and-ethical-issues-on-scientific-development

https://www.genome.gov/10004765/cloningembryonic-stem-cells/

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The Virgilian Hero Today

Anyone has the ability to be a hero by doing even the smallest thing that to someone else is the biggest thing. Heroes can be defined in many ways. A modern hero can be “someone who fights for a good cause and positive makes a difference in the world”  who goes “‘above and beyond’ [their] normal duties in times of struggle of pressure” according to Dan Bacon in his article Modern Day Heroes: Who Are They?. And that’s true, heroes are everywhere around us in all kinds of settings. You just need to look. And I thought, even Virgil would be able to find a hero amongst us today.

Virgil’s ideal hero is someone who is selfless and follows their responsibility to family, country, and religion (Pietas), someone who show courage and morality (Virus), who is constantly striving for success and doesn’t give up no matter what they face (Labor), and finally, someone who follows the guiding hand of fate and destiny (Fatum). And while someone today could be seen as a Virgilian hero, Aeneas might not be seen as a modern day hero.

Throughout his journey, Aeneas must be pushed in the right direction by those around him such as the gods in Book II when he is fleeing Troy and Book IV when he must be told by Jupiter to leave Dido and return to his duty. He is also pushed into following the path laid out for him after encountering his father in the Underworld. And while in Virgil’s sense of a hero, Aeneas is following the will of the gods (fatum),in modern day he is simply being told what to do instead of going out and helping his people of his own free will without being told that it is what he needs to do.

Aeneas also cares more about his own personal desires rather than selflessly helping those around him such as in Book I when he is only thinking about how he wished he had died in glory back at the battle of Troy instead of being a proper leader and helping to calm his crew that are panicking during the storm sent by Hera’s wrath. Heroes are supposed to be role models, someone that others can look up to. However, Aeneas just causes trouble for his descendants and the future Roman Empire by abandoning Dido after their affair and invoking her curse on his line that led to the three Punic Wars.

Heroes can come in all shapes and sizes, but can Aeneas really be considered a hero in today’s world?

Sources:

Virgil. Aeneid. Translated by Robert Fagles. Penguin Classics deluxe ed., 2006/2008.

https://www.themodernman.com/success/modern_day_heroes.html

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The Empire Of The Olympians

Empire brings along with it the ideas of power and control. These ideas can also been seen in Greek mythology through the rule of the Olympian council. The Greek gods are an empire with the 12 Olympians finding themselves at the top. These 12 Olympian gods hold power and control over the remaining gods and all of mankind.

The 12 Olympians consist of Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, and Zeus [Not including Hades who was unwelcome on Mount Olympus and Hestia who gave up her seat on the Olympian Council for Dionysus] who served as the main gods in the Greek pantheon. Among these 12 gods, Zeus, the god of the skies, held the most power as he “impose[d] his will onto gods and mortals alike.”

One of the ways in which the Olympian council displayed its power was the fact that they resided on Mount Olympus high above the realm of man. By physically placing themselves above others, they show their superiority to those below. In terms of empire, the gods exerted their power on mankind. In turn, man worshiped their existence and prayed and offered sacrifice to them in hopes for good fortune.

The empire of the gods showed their control through their reign over the various aspects that make up the world we know. Such as Zeus and his domain of power being the sky, Poseidon with the seas, and Hades ruling over the underworld. This control held by the members of the Olympian council allowed them to basically control the world and maintain their empire.

Empires can exist anywhere, even in the myths of old that you wouldn’t really think to connect to an empire.

Sources:

https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/olympians/